Deb Allen

I received my Masters in Counseling Psychology through the University of Colorado at Denver in 2000, and my license as a professional counselor in July, 2003.

Before coming to Fort Lewis College as a counseling intern in 1998, I worked for many years as a counselor/educator at Durango's Planned Parenthood clinic. I was a volunteer advocate for the Sexual Assault Services Organization(SASO) hotline. In both of these roles I have accompanied people as they encounter and contend with crises and crossroads in their lives.

I found my way to entering a master’s program in counseling through a dream, awakening one morning with a clear vision of working on a college campus with students. It was a natural shift for me, and a defining moment in my life. I believe in the journey.

My therapeutic approach is grounded in humanistic, existential and cognitive theories. The strong interest that drew me to working for Planned Parenthood, sitting with people as they look at their lives and choices, and supporting them in that process, remains central in my focus today. I incorporate various therapies to assist individuals in working both on self-acceptance and on the growth they seek. I’ve studied approaches for working with trauma, most recently being trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprogramming).

My husband Bob and I moved to Durango in 1981 after graduating from college in central New York. We are parents of two grown children. Cycling, skiing, hiking, yoga, music, camping and playing with friends and family are passions for me.